RSHC at practical training in Bulgaria

While volunteer-rescuers from the Mountain Rescue Services of Croatia and Serbia trained in the Center, RSHC rescuers went to Bulgaria to the International Cave Rescue Meeting organized by the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA), one of the largest among voluntary rescue organizations.

More than 10 teams from different European countries met in Sofia suburb area for this event; the program included a briefing, discussion of general issues and practical exercises in caves.

Team leaders discussed the organization of rescue operations in the European deep caves. Such work is complicated because of the need for large number of people, up to one hundred or even more persons and their distribution across all labyrinths.

In many European countries, professional firefighters-rescuers are often poorly prepared for work in closed spaces and narrows with different angles. Therefore, there is a need for the assistance of volunteers - speleologists. At the same time, it is not easy to make the interaction between these rescuer groups.

The practical part of a meeting consisted of demonstrating different cave rescue techniques and showing the latest examples of rescue equipment. The Center’s representatives have shown in practice the technique of rescue in closed collapsed spaces, which covers both vertical and diagonal climb-descent with the injured.

We are sure that this working meeting enriched all participants with new knowledge and expanded the scope of cooperation of all participating structures and organizations.